The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) says it has commenced investigations into a shooting incident at Ashaiman on Sunday which resulted in the death of one person.
A statement signed and issued on April 5 by Colonel Emmanuel Aggrey-Quashie, Director of Public Relations, GAF, said, the details of the investigations would be duly announced.
The statement said the incident involved an attempt by a civilian to disarm a soldier who was conducting an arrest in enforcement of the lockdown of areas in the Greater Accra Region to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The statement explained that the civilian was being arrested on suspicion of indulging in illegal conduct contrary to the Narcotics Act, adding that the suspect in resisting arrest tried to disarm the soldier.
It said this resulted in a struggle which led to the soldier’s rifle accidentally going off.
The suspect sustained life-threatening injuries and passed on whilst being conveyed to the hospital for medical attention, the statement added.
The deceased, Eric Ofotsu, also known as “No Yawa”, a resident of Taabo Line in the Ashaiman Municipality, was allegedly shot in the upper part of his chest.
The soldier, who is a Staff Sergeant was part of a team conducting ‘Operation COVID-19 Safety’ assigned by the Ghana Armed Forces to the Ashaiman Municipality.
An eye witness, Ofosua McCarthy, in an interview with the Ghanaian Times, said she saw the events unfold from a storey building where she was resting.
She said both the deceased and suspect were engaged in verbal exchanges and almost immediately the Staff Sergeant was seen speaking on his mobile phone, whilst he walked to a military vehicle parked on the road and then came back .
Ms McCarthy said the suspect corked his rifle and sensing danger she took cover after which the deceased was fired.
She said he picked the empty shell of the ammunition after firing and left.
Ms McCarthy said she was unable to confirm whether Ofotsu had narcotics substances on him or not, as being speculated, but she had seen him smoking cigarette.
Another eye witness who is the leader for the Taabo Line area, KwekuTormetsi, said the soldier had whipped the deceased a couple of times who in anger snatched the cane from the suspect.
Mr Tormetsi said he heard the gun shot few seconds after he had left the scene, and when he rushed back upon hearing the shot, he saw the suspect picking the empty shell of the ammunition from the ground.
The Assembly Member for the Nii Amui Electoral Area, Shadrach Tetteh, has appealed to the government for an immediate investigation into the incident.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH, ASHAIMAN
